Episode 98: A&F Top 10 Churches

This week Carrie and Alisha list their Top 10 churches in an eclectic tour of the world.

Number 1: Crystal Cathedral (Christ's Cathedral)

The Crystal Cathedral, is known as Christ’s Cathedral

This modern beauty is a sight to behold in California. Designed by Philip Johnson in 1981, it is one of the largest glass buildings in the world!

We proudly award this church: Best Bling

Number 2: Salt Cathedral in Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland

Yes that’s right, we said SALT Cathedral! This flavorful mine has an actual cathedral located inside, carved out of the walls of the mine. Life size statues and chandeliers of rock salt decorate the mine.

This cathedral earns the award of: Most Edible, yummm!

 In case you were looking for other buildings you can lick, here is a link for you:

http://gizmodo.com/buildings-you-can-lick-9-spectacular-structures-made-o-5992613

 

Number 3: San Diego LDS Temple

This picturesque temple belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is located in San Diego. By day the temple seems to sit like a delicate cloud on the beautiful manicured grounds. The stark white exterior lights up when the sun goes down and looks like a halo in the middle of the city!

We bestow upon this temple the award of: Most Heavenly

Number 4: Washington National Cathedral

While part of the cathedral was under construction in the 80’s, a contest was held for school children to design Gargoyles and Grotesques to adorn the towers. One of the winners was Christopher Rader and his Darth Vader drawing, and then turned into a sculpture by Patrick J. Plunkett

Most Sci-Fi award we grant this

Number 5: Santuario de Las Lajas (The Shrine of Our Lady of Las Lajas) Columbia

The Shrine of Our Lady of Las Lajas

This Neo-Romanesque masterpiece was designed by the architects J. Gualberto Perez and Lucindo Espinosa and built between 1916 and 1949

We give this one the award of: Most Epic!

Number 6: Svyato-Spassky Convent in Kostomarovo 

Two churches are located in these caves, a Spassky temple and a smaller St. Seraphin Sarovsky church.  These churches dig deep into the cliff to provide surprisingly open interiors. These churches were also built as a way to protect parishioners in case of sieges or attacks

This cleverly disguised location earns it the Best Camouflage Award

 

Number 7: Hallgrimur Church, Iceland

This tall glass of water was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson who found inspiration from the basalt lava flows found throughout Iceland. The church is 244 feet tall.

We give this beauty the award of: Tall Awesomeness 



Number 8: Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, France

An ancient church turned museum of antique ornamental wrought iron? Talk about a dream come true! This church now houses a collection of wrought iron amassed by Jean-Louis-Henri Le Secq des Tournelles who was one of France’s leading architectural photographers to the 19^th Century.

This amazing museum/church is granted the Sweet Transformation award

Number 9: Mont Saint-Michel

This miraculous monastery fortress is located on a tidal island in Normandy. The city plan of the island is based on the medieval feudal system, with God (the monastery) at the top, then the great halls, then shops and stores, and without the walls, the farms.

Obviously we have awarded this one: The most medieval town on an island looking!

Number 10: Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul

This amazing mosque houses the tombs of the Sultan Süleyman his wife Roxelana.

Roxelana was a highly influential and powerful woman in her day.

We give this Mosque the award for Inspiring Carrie’s future interior design projects!


Thanks for joining us today! Come back next week for Julia and Alisha's episode on Fairy Painting.
Have a great week!

Episode 94: A&F's Top 10 Smooches!

It's almost Valentines Day, the day of love, and in honor of that day we here at Arts & Facts have compiled our own list of the top 10 smooches (kisses) in art. This has been a fun episode to research and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we had recording it!

Without further ado we give you:

Number 10

1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney

Snow White was the very first Disney Princess created in  1937 and was the epitome of innocence. I wonder if they knew then how long this magical kiss would live on, and how many incarnations it would have in pop culture.

Number 9

2004, Kissing Coppers, Banksy

These kissing coppers are located in Brighton, England on an exterior wall of the Prince Albert Pub. After vandals many attempts to deface the image the owner decided to sell it, for it's own protection (sure). In 2008 an art restoration company used chemicals to transfer the image from the pub wall onto canvas. You can still visit the Brighton pub to see a replica of the original, which has been covered by plastic to protect it from further attempts to deface it (as seen in the image above).

Number 8

Maritte, Lovers, 1928

Maritte's eerie interpretation of a kiss isn't an image soon forgotten. While kisses are supposed to be intimate touches the fabric over the lovers faces prevents them from actually touching. This can be interpreted in a couple of ways, the first is that as much as we might love someone we can never really know them fully, and the second is that perhaps the use of the fabric is a way to represent longing that can never be fulfilled. Either way Maritte's Lovers leaves a lasting impression.

Number 7

Picasso, The Kiss, 1969

The Kiss by Picasso is the last in a series of three, the other two being a sketch and a black and white image. There isn't a whole lot of information available on this piece but we think it's fair to say that if you didn't already know it was a Picasso you could easily tell at first glance. In this painting the woman seems to be much more engaged in the kiss than the man. 

Number 6

Canova, Psyche Revived by Cupids Kiss, 1787-1793

Canova's sculpture of Psyche and Cupid was just recently mentioned in our Classical Revivals episode, but it's so beautiful it deserves more attention. If you don't know the story behind this myth you can read more about it here at the Louvre's website. The twisting forms in this sculpture make it very interesting to view, keeping the eyes moving until they stop at Cupids lips. A very romantic piece to be sure.

Number 5

Richard Lam, Vancouver Stanley Cup Riot, Kissing Couple, 2011

This image was taken in 2011 during the Stanley Cup Riot in Vancouver, Canada. The riot broke out after the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup against the Vancouver Canucks (never mess with Canada's hockey!). Businesses were looted, cars were set a flame and 140 people were injured. In the middle of all this we see a couple laying in the street kissing. Some people thought it was staged, but the photographer who captured this image says it wasn't. In fact, the woman in the picture had been knocked down by riot police and her boyfriend was kissing her in an effort to calm her down. 

http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2011/06/interview-photographer-richard-lam-his-vancouver-riot-kiss-photo

Number 4

Gerome, Pygmalion and Galeta, 1890

In a kind of creepy story we learn that Pygmalion is sick of women. They're all rather superficial and selfish in his opinion, so he creates a sculpture of his perfect woman and kisses her everyday until she becomes real. In this image we see the moment of transformation when a normally cold kiss against marble becomes a warm kiss, flesh to flesh.

Number 3

Alfred Eisentaedt, V-J Day In Times Square, 1945

The Japanese had just surrendered and the war in the Pacific was over, people all over the US were celebrating. This is one of the images captured on that happy day in Times Square.

http://nypost.com/2012/06/17/the-true-story-behind-the-iconic-v-j-day-sailor-and-nurse-smooch/

Number 2

Klimt, The Kiss, 1907-1908

This painting is part of Klimt's "Gold Period" and is famous for being compared to the Mona Lisa in terms of genius. Unlike the previous art works we have talked about there really isn't a story behind it unless we talk about Klimt himself who was known for his "fierce sexual appetite". 

http://www.klimt.com/en/gallery/women/details-klimt-der-kuss-1908.dhtml

Number 1

Rodin, The Kiss, 1882-89

Rodin's, The Kiss, is known as one of the most romantic sculptures of all time. It's a natural number one for us here at Arts and Facts. The story behind this piece is from Dante's Inferno and involves two adulterous lovers who end up murdered by the woman's husband.

We hope you enjoyed this week's episode on Arts & Facts Top 10 Smooches. Next week we will have a listener requested episode on Friedensreich Hundertwasser! We will see you then! Have a great week!

Episode 84: 10 Architecturally Beautiful Museums

Hello blog listeners! Today we offer you our favorite architecturally beautiful museums. Obviously there are so many beautiful museums in the world that we did not choose to be part of this episode and we are not discounting them by any means, but for now here are 10 museums that we believe should be recognized for their architectural achievements, innovation and beauty.

NUMBER 1: Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum
http://www.macniteroi.com.br/

Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, Oscar Niemeyer assisted by Bruno Contarini

Interior

Located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and built in 1996 this museum reminds us of a UFO in shape and is surrounded by an enormous reflecting pool. It is fitting that this should be a contemporary art museum, it is very contemporary in style.

NUMBER 2: Milwaukee Museum of Art
http://mam.org/

Milwaukee Museum of Art, Eero Saarinen, David Kahler, and Santiago Calatrava

Interior

The War Memorial center designed by Eero Saarinen was completed in 1957 and was created to house a veterans memorial collection. It is shaped like a floating cross and Saarinen received a great amount of praise for his innovative design. The Quadrraci Pavillion was completed in 2011 and looks much like the sails of a ship.

NUMBER 3: Guggenheim Bilboa Spain
http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/

Guggenheim Bilboa, Spain. Frank Gehry

Interior

This Guggenheim Museum is located in Bilboa, Spain and is one of several belonging to the Soloman R. Guggenheim Foundation. The Guggenheim Bilboa was built to help the city regain its civil pride. After looking at the stucture for awhile it begins to take on shapes like a fish, a ship and a cruise liner.

NUMBER 4: Hanoi Museum

Hanoi Museum, Meinhard von Gerkan, Nikolaus Goetze, Klaus Lenz

Located in Vietnam, this stylistically modern museum has very simplistic elements which make it very aesthetically pleasing. The museum looks like an upside down pyramid which makes it very functional, as the largest galleries are on the top floor and can be lite very easily using natural light. Natural lighting is used throughout the structure and gives it a very authentic effect.

NUMBER 5: The Louvre Museum
http://www.louvre.fr/en

Louvre Museum, Paris France

Interior of pyramid entrance

Interior

Unfortunatly know one really knows who designed the original Louvre palace, but it is a wonderus site to behold. In the heart of Paris, France the Louvre is perhaps the most iconic museum in the world and is home to countless art treasures. It was originally the seat of the French monarcy until 1682 when Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles. In 1789 it became the Louvre Museum.

NUMBER 6: Weisman Art Museum
http://www.weisman.umn.edu/

Weisman Art Museum, Frank Gehry

Can you tell we like Frank Gehry? Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota this structure has every element of design that Gehry is known for. The building presents to faces, depending on which side it is viewed from.

NUMBER 7: The Royal Ontario Museum
http://www.rom.on.ca/en

The Royal Ontario Museum, Frank Gehry designed the "Crystal"

Interior

The modern addition added to the original structure was added in 2012 and designed by, yet again, Frank Gehry! It is known as "The Crystal" for very good reasons.

NUMBER 8: Dali Museum
http://thedali.org/home.php

The Dali Museum, Yann Weymouth

This museum combines all things rational and fantastical just as Dali's artwork did. Located in St. Petersburg, Florida this structure consists of a simple rectangle with free-form geodesic known as "the enigma" made of 1062 triangular pieces of glass.

NUMBER 9: National Museum of the American Indian
http://nmai.si.edu/home/

National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC.

Another exterior view

Located in the National Mall in Washington, DC this structure embodies an Native American spirit. The structure was built with curvilinear lines meant to mimic nature. The entrance faces East, as is part of Native American culture and the dome opens to the sky, also an aspect of traditional Native American homes.

NUMBER 10: The Guggenheim New York City
http://www.guggenheim.org/

Guggenheim, Frank Lloyd Wright

The Guggenheim museum is located in New York City and is an example of Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural genius. Sadly Wright passed away before its completion in 1959.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast! Please share with us your favorite museums and join us next Wednesday for the final episode in our mini series on Baroque art! Julia and Lauren will be talking about Spanish Baroque.